1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to centrally monitored security or alarm systems and more particularly to remote monitoring and operating of home and personal security systems, using a digital computer manned by a human operator, for rapid, accurate, and automatic transmission of alarm condition to the appropriate emergency response unit.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Security, alarm or annunciator systems which employ central monitoring of conditions registered at remote locations have been known or have been described in the general and patent literature in recent years.
One such system teaches a plurality of remote stations each having one or more alarm sensors and a power supply for causing an alarm signal generator such as a relay, to signal a corresponding one of plural central alarm units by means of a telephone line when the sensor is tripped.
Other systems have disclosed designs for use with cable TV (community antennas) wherein a radio frequency signal representative of an alarm state, is sent to a central office via the cable network.
More recently, security systems of the centralized monitoring and reporting of remote alarm conditions type have been introduced which use sensors to identify the location of the premises under an alarm condition and the exact location within the premises where the alarm condition is present. The alarm sensors relay the information to a central facility, which automatically keeps record of vital alarm information and which can continuously monitor changes in the operational status of the subscriber units. Such systems can even verify whether a remote unit is actually in an alarm state, or whether the alarm state is due to a breakdown in the alarm equipment.
One of the most common and largest problems with any alarm system is the problem associated with false alarms. Most prior art security systems fail to provide a means for verifying whether the alarm is false. In some cities, false alarms have become such a nuisance to police, fire and medical rescue teams that some states now require that the alarm signal from such protection systems be verified before they send personnel to respond.
Another problem common to alarm systems is the valuable time wasted by the operator at the central monitoring station verifying whether the alarm is false. This is true even with municipal 911 systems since many of those systems require specific information before it is even assigned a level of response. In situations like a fire or an intruder, even a few valuable seconds can make the difference between life and death.